So he made it! A lifetime’s ambition is achieved. Boris Johnson is our new PM and he reinvented himself yet again within a few short minutes of finding that out, as if he did not know well before.
The overwhelming majority of votes from the party membership gives on the face of it full authority and mandate to his leadership of the party even though many would disagree that he has majority support to be leader of the country.
In the short speech made after his election Boris spelled out his optimistic vision and his one nation Tory credentials. He and we should look forward to a “can do” Britain under his leadership and it was clear he savoured what was probably one of his last rhetorical speeches. He is now in office and the time for threats and promises, gung ho banter and bumbling eccentricity is over.
There was clear acknowledgement from the new PM that the campaign is over and the work must begin and that work will start late tomorrow afternoon after his visit to the Queen confirms him in he job. Within a few days we will see the shape of his new government and that is likely to be the first of many manifestations of Boris in office as compared to Boris the campaigner. It is likely to be a shock to some of those who ardently supported him in his campaign.
Most of the leading political pundits are already suggesting that his cabinet will not be full of devoted Brexiteers after all. He is going to need those capable not only of delivering an orderly withdrawal from the EU but those capable of dealing with the realities of that withdrawal. From now on it is not ‘can do’ but ‘must do’. The role of the UK’s new government is delivering not just Brexit but everything else that has been promised.
There are many, including your writer here, who have doubted Boris Johnson’s promises, pledges and declarations in the past so what has changed? Well it really is quite simple — the promises are the old Boris and by necessity he now must become the new Boris. He is now in the the top job, he is now behind the steering wheel of the nation. It is no longer the time for telling others which direction they should go and how to get there, he is the driver now.
Our new PM has a steep hill to climb. He has spent several weeks ratcheting up the rhetoric and pandering to one particular view within the Tory party membership. His relentless attacks on the EU aristocracy and institutions have made him hero to many but leave him with difficulties in further negotiations with those self same people and institutions. We are likely to see a less bellicose Boris the next time he mentions the EU. He is a statesman now, not a campaigner.
Very large spending promises have been made during that campaign and in his victory speech he repeated several of them. The voters will be very unforgiving if they are not delivered, because contrary to the views of the hardliners family incomes, security, health and education are very much more important than Brexit. Campaigning on slogans is easy and cheap, delivering the goods rather more costly and much less of a smooth ride.
So now we have it. A lifetime’s ambition achieved, a Brexit PM and an optimistic vision for the future. As we are informed Boris Johnson is a classicist, a scholar of ancient civilisations. He undoubtedly will remember from his studies another ambitious man who also got the top job that he had always wanted. When Alexander the Great was 33 he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer.
Like Alexander, Boris will have to assimilate many of the ideas of those he has conquered and he suggested he would do that in his victory speech. Like Alexander, Boris might find that the conquering is a darn sight easier than the governing. For the moment let’s be grateful for one more thing he said in his speech: “the campaign is over”.
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Barry Turner is Senior Lecturer in Media Law and Public Administration at the University of Lincoln.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue is now recruiting more on-call firefighters.
It has used a video as part of national on-call firefighter awareness week of current staff talking about their jobs to try and encourage more people to take up the role. The awareness week runs between March 1 to 7.
To be an on-call firefighter you need to be over 18 and live or work within five minutes of a fire station.
Employees get paid for the role as well as being able to help the local community – see more information here, email [email protected] or call the recruitment team on 0800 3580 204.
John Ashby is an on-call firefighter for Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue at Corby Glen. | Photo: LCC
Sean Band, Watch Manager for Recruitment at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “On-call firefighters carry pagers. When the pager sounds, they need to get to the fire station within 5 minutes of being alerted, from their home or place of work.
“Shifts can be flexible and work around other commitments, so many of our crew members have other jobs or responsibilities.
“We’re always happy to talk through what it involves, including pay, training and the recruitment process, with anyone who wants to find out more, and we have vacancies on training courses throughout the year.”
Councillor Nick Worth, executive councillor for emergency services at the county council, added: “We’re really proud of our on call firefighters in Lincolnshire who show great commitment and dedication.
“We’re also incredibly thankful to those county employers who offer their staff the opportunity to work on-call when needed, and who then benefit from having a fully trained firefighter in their organisation.”
Nepalese and Indian takeaway Everest Xpress has found a new home at the bottom of Steep Hill after leaving its High Street premises, which will turn into a Taco Bell.
Two separate planning applications for Taco Bells were submitted to City of Lincoln Council — to convert Everest Xpress on the lower High Street, as well as the former Pizza Hut premises on Nettleham Road. The one on Nettleham Road has since been approved.
Kamal Basyal, owner of Everest Xpress, originally had a lease at the High Street unit from 2011 until October 2021 but agreed to relocate earlier once he found a new premises.
Everest Xpress was located on the High Street for 10 years. | Photo: The Lincolnite
He told The Lincolnite that the business will now relocate to the property on The Strait formerly occupied by The Bombay Restaurant, originally listed by Mundys for £55,000.
Everest Xpress moved out of its former home and into new premises this week. The move will also enable Kamal to add a restaurant to the takeaway business.
It will be open daily for takeaway by Monday, March 1 between 5pm and 10pm, with customers able to order for delivery by calling 01522 541930 or online here.
The restaurant will be ready to open as soon as government restrictions allow and this will create new jobs. Hospitality venues can seat customers indoors from May 17, according to the latest government guidance.
Everest Xpress’ new home on The Strait in Lincoln. | Photo: The Lincolnite
In the meantime, Kamal and his team will be doing more refurbishment work inside ready for the restaurant’s opening this spring.
He told The Lincolnite: “I feel a little sentimental after leaving there (the former premises) after 10 years, but we are really excited about the move. We are really excited to be opening a restaurant too.”
Residents in North East Lincolnshire will be able to recycle more items in their bins as of next month.
The council said that from March 8, households can put clean plastic pots, as well as tubs and trays, in their grey recycling bin or orange box.
Previously, bottles were the only plastics that could go in the grey bin or orange box, but these options have now been expanded.
It is part of a new scheme to encourage people in the area to recycle more and reduce the district’s carbon footprint.
Items such as yoghurt pots, ice cream tubs and food trays will be included in the newest recycling plans, though they must be clean and all films or lids should be removed.
New collection calendars will also be introduced for the majority of households in North East Lincolnshire from Monday, March 8.
People can check the new dates on the council website via a postcode checker.
It is believed that the increase in recycling means the demand for bigger general household rubbish bins will reduce over time.
Despite this, the frequency of green bin collections will not change and garden waste collections will stay largely the same.
Smaller bins for household waste will gradually be phased in for residents, such as when a damaged bin needs replacing or for a new build property.
North East Lincolnshire council has assured residents that 240 litre green bins will not be removed and replaced by smaller 180 litre bins.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “People told us they wanted to recycle more types of plastic when we consulted on our waste strategy last winter.
“Now we’re expanding the types of household plastics people can recycle at home.
“We’re already seeing big increases in the amount of recycling we’re collecting since we introduced the new bins.
“By recycling more, we can help protect the environment, help tackle climate change and reduce our carbon footprint.”
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